Hold-down plug and socket construction



May 19, 1970 I G. PODWALNY v 3,512,740 I HOLD-DOWN PLUG AND SOCKETCONSTRUCTJIQN Filed March 13, 1968 5 Shets-S het l INVENTORQ 2 SERGEY G. PODWALNY ATTORNEYS May 19,1970 'SPO'DWALNY 3,512,740 I HOLD-DOWN PLUG AND SOCKET CONSTRUCTION Filed March 13, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FIG. 4 SERGEY s. PODWALNY BY Wm, n.

PM? W ATTORNEYS May 19, 1970 s. G'. PODWALNY ,740.

1 HOLD-DOWN PLUGAND SOCKET CONSTRUCTION Filed March 15, 1968 5 Sheets-sheaf; 5'

INVENTOR. SERGEY G. PODWALNY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,512,740 HOLD-DOWN PLUG AND SOCKET CONSTRUCTION Sergey Gary Podwalny, Smithville, Ohio, assignor to Rubbermaid Incorporated, Wooster, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 712,642 Int. Cl. A47g 23/02 U.S. Cl. 248154 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a plug and socket construction providing detachable supporting means for gripping a receptacle to prevent accidental displacement. The detachable support comprises a plug secured to a supporting surface and having reduced peripheral portions forming a groove receiving an O-ring which frictionally engages and grips the wall of a socket in the receptacle fitting over the plug. At least some of the peripheral portions have annular surfaces inclined upwardly outward and terminating at annular stop shoulders whereby upward movement of the socket wedgably compresses the O-ring and increases gripping action.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is particularly adapted for holding refuse and trash cans in place and preventing accidental tipping over of the receptacles by dogs, wind or other causes, while permitting authorized removal for disposing of the contents. Various means have been proposed for accomplishing this purpose, some of which require special concrete bases of a substantially permanent nature.

Other prior constructions have included an annular base member yielding gripping the outer periphery of the bottom wall of a receptacle, and a distortable rubber plug which is inserted into a tapered socket centrally of the bottom wall of the receptacle. The first construction depends upon the weight of the receptacle and its contents to assure good gripping action, so that a lightweight, substantially empty container is easily tipped over. The second construction requires a tight yielding engagement between the rubber plug and socket such that if the receptacle is held securely enough to prevent accidental tipping it is ditficult to remove by authorized personnel. Moreover, if the fit between the plug and socket becomes loose, the receptacle is progressively easier to tip because of the increasing size of the tapered socket as it is pulled off the plug.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hold-down plug and socket construction which will prevent accidental displacement while permitting authorized detachment.

Another object is to provide an improved hold-down plug and socket construction for receptacles to prevent accidental tipping thereof.

A further object is to provide an improved hold-down plug and socket construction which overcomes the disadvantages of prior constructions and which is simple and inexpensive to construct and install.

These and other objects are accomplished by pro viding a plug preferably molded of plastic material and a conformin socket in the bottom wall of a preferably plastIc receptacle, the plug having a peripheral O-ring frictionally engaging the socket, and an inclined peripheral surface on said plug receiving the O-ring 3,512,740 Patented May 19, 1970 whereby upward movement of the socket wedges the O-ring between the plug and socket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a hold-down plug embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation thereof, showing an O-ring around the periphery.

FIG. 3 is a cross section on line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the bottom portion of a receptacle fully seated on the plug.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the receptacle raised above fully seated position.

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of another embodiment of hold-down plug embodying the invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view on line 66 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of hold-down plug shown in FIGS. 1-6 are preferably made of molded linear polyethylene, although other suitable materials may be used. The plug is shown circular in plan but other shapes may be used without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Likewise, while the improved plug and socket construction have been shown applied to a hold-down for a receptacle, it is obvious that said construction may have other applications where it is desirable to provide a removable plug and socket having a limited resistance to being disconnected.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the plug indicated as a whole at 10 is hollow and substantially circular, having a bottom wall 11, alternate side wall portions 12 and 12', and an annular top wall 13 which is connected to the central part 14 of bottom wall 11 by a conical wall 15 forming a central recess 16 in the plug. As shown in FIG. 3, the central bottom wall 14 is preferably provided with a center hole 17 through which an attaching screw 18 may pass for securing the plug to a support 19 shown as a concrete slab, for example.

The side wall portions 12 in this embodiment are recessed to form a circumferential series of recesses 20 each formed by a horizontal ledge or shoulder 21 connected to a recessed vertical wall 22 terminating at and connected to top wall 13. Alternating with the recesses 20 are recesses 24 formed by recessed lower side wall portions 12 extending substantially vertically upward from bottom wall 11, and connected with outwardly upwardly inclined walls 26 terminating at and connected to top wall 13 adjacent to its outer periphery so as to form shallow shoulders 27 overhanging the inclined walls. The outer diameter of said shoulders 27 is preferably the same as the outer diameter of side walls 12.

The recesses 20 form a series of grooves, which may be described as an intermittent groove, around the exterior of the plug for receiving an O-ring 29 encircling the plug in slightly stretched condition so that it normally tends to return to the bottoms of inclined walls 26 where it rests on the ledges or shoulders 21 at the bases of the recesses 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In this position the O-ring 29 abuts the lower outer parts of the inclined walls 26, the outer diameter of the O- ring being slightly greater than the outer diameter of the overhanging shoulders 27 and the side walls 12.

The receptacle indicated as a whole at 30 has a bottom wall 31 which is recessed above the bottom of the circular outer side wall 32 to form a socket, as shown, and the inner diameter of the depending side wall portion 33 is such that when telescoped over the plug 10 with the bottom wall 31 resting on top wall 13 of the plug, side wall portion 33 engages the O-ring 29 without substantially compressing or distorting the ring, as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, when the plug and receptacle are in axially mated position, there is a slight clearance between the inner diameter of side wall 33 and the side walls 12 and overhanging shoulders 27, but the side wall is resiliently engaged by O-ring 29.

The recess in the bottom of receptacle 30 is shown to be substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the receptacle above the bottom wall 31, but it will be understood that the receptacle can be substantially larger than the bottom recess. Also, the receptacle 30 is shown to have exterior vertical ribs 34 which form no part of the invention.

When the receptacle 30 is raised above the plug, as shown in FIG. 4, the engagement of side wall portion 33 with the O-ring 29 causes the O-ring to roll upwardly, and as it rolls on the inclined walls 26 of the plug it is wedged and compressed between walls 33 and 26, thereby acting to increase the resilient engagement between the plug and receptacle. The overhanging shoulders 27 function as stops to limit the upward movement of the O-ring 29 on the plug.

While the receptacle 30 is shown in FIG. 4 to be raised straight upwardly so that bottom wall 31 is parallel to top wall 13, it will be obvious that if one side of the receptacle is tilted upwardly, the same action takes place on the high side of its recessed bottom. As a matter of fact, the receptacle can be removed by authorized personnel by tilting the receptacle upwardly on one side and applying a sudden upward force sufficient to force the wall portion 33 over the compressed part of the O-ring. The amount of force required to accomplish removal is far greater than that exerted by dogs or even windstorms.

The embodiment of the plug shown in FIGS. and 6 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1-4 in that the groove 136 is continuous all the way around the plug 110, and has a horizontal ledge or shoulder 121 on which the O-ring 129 is normally supported. The inclined annular surface 126 extends upwardly outward and terminates at the overhanging shoulder 127 which acts as a stop for the O-ring when it is rolled upwardly, as by engaging with the wall around the recess of a receptacle telescoped over the plug.

The improved hold-down plug and socket construction provides a simple and inexpensive means of removably mounting a receptacle or the like, while preventing acci-/ dental tipping and unauthorized removal.

I claim:

1. A hold-down plug and socket construction for a receptacle having a bottom socket, comprising a plug for axially fitting in said socket, said plug having a peripheral groove, an O-ring in said groove and surrounding said plug, and an inclined peripheral surface on said plug for engaging said O-ring when the socket is moved downwardly over the plug, said inclined surface being inclined upwardly outward of said plug so as to wedgably engage said O-rin-g when the socket is moved upwardly thereof.

2. A hold-down plug and socket construction as in claim 1, in which the peripheral groove in the plug is formed by a series of recessed portions having axially directed peripheral surfaces alternating with a series of circumferentially aligned recessed portions having inclined peripheral surfaces circumferentially aligned with said axially directed surfaces.

3. A hold-down plug and socket construction as in claim 2, in which peripheral stop shoulders are provided at the upper ends of said inclined surfaces.

4. A hold-down plug and socket construction as in claim 1, in which a peripheral stop shoulder is provided at the upper end of said inclined surface.

5. A hold-down plug and socket construction as in claim 1, in which the plug has an axially recessed portion for attachment to a support.

6. A hold down plug and socket construction as in claim 1, in which the O-ring is made of a compressible resilient material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,376,389 4/1921 Holmes 24-215 1,407,570 2/1922 Peirce 64 2,322,949 6/1943 Lux 858.8 2,433,298 12/1947 Segal 8564 2,805,017 9/1957 Hill et al. 248346 2,847,238 8/1958 Bolling 858.8 2,910,219 10/1959 Bennett et al. 248346 3,132,557 5/1964 Bauer 858.8 3,302,509 2/1967 Modrey 8564 3,310,266 3/1967 Larkin et al. 248154 3,394,832 7/1968 McAllister et al. 248310 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,265,633 5/1961 France.

MARION PARSONS, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 248310, 346 

